If You Play With Fire
by Wendymypooh
Summary: Jesse James learns that when you follow along with the rest of the crowd that dire consequences can happen.


Jesse James hid within the passageway that existed between Tompkins store and the store adjacent to it, shivering, fearful of what Teaspoon and the others were going to do to him once they caught him.

How he had ever gotten himself into such a fine pickle, he did not know. He just wanted to have fun, to have friends his own age to hang out with that did not treat him like a kid. He had lived with Teaspoon in the jailhouse for only a few short months, but had come to think of the cantankerous older man as a surrogate grandfather. He had never had one…or none that had still been alive when he had been born.

And he thought rather highly of the rest of the 'Pony Express' family that had adopted him as one of their own despite his insistence that he was not an orphan. He had kin in the form of his older brother Frank and his Ma, but had been sent to live with his uncle, Doc Woodson for protection from the militia that was hounding Frank.

He reckoned now, after what he had done, that none of them would want him around anymore, that they probably would not have anything to do with him at all.

As he crouched in the passageway, staring in horror-filled fascination at the flickering flames emanating from the burning building dancing wickedly on the walls directly across from it.

*How was he supposed to have known that Tompkins had been keeping a secret horde of moonshine in the decrepit shanty behind his store?* Jesse thought to himself. *I never would have picked it for my initiation if I had known.*

The "Initiation" he was referring to had come about when the Riley boys: Seth, Aaron, and Joe had moved into town with their Pa a few weeks earlier. Almost right away they had signaled Jesse and a couple of the other boys out as likable fellows and began to teach them all sorts of interesting things to occupy their otherwise boring lives.

It was just the sort of exciting, mischievous fun that Jesse had been looking for and he had joined in readily. Most of the things had been rather minor, stealing a plug of tobacco from Tompkins store, snitching whiskey from the town drunk, climbing onto the roofs of the stores and jumping from one to another without ever being caught.

He had not really thought that anyone was paying attention to him at the way station, but he was mistaken. Teaspoon began keeping him at the jail sweeping, cleaning and hanging up 'Wanted' posters at the jailhouse. Rachel had heaped more homework upon him in order for him  
to make up for the schooling that he missed; and Lou and the other riders had been trying to spend more time with him, talking, fishing, riding, hoping to keep him out of trouble.

It only served to make him want to escape their presences even more so he had taken to sneaking out at night, which wasn't an easy thing to do considering Teaspoon was such a light sleeper and all, to go and join his new friends.

Almost two weeks ago Aaron Riley had suggested a new game, an "Initiation' of sorts to bind them all together as a gang forever. It was called 'Torch'. Each of the members would designate a certain area, within town to stage their own 'little fires.' It had to be separated away from any other buildings by a good couple of feet to lessen chances of doing any serious damage, or harm to any living soul.

Over the past few nights, the other members of the gang had taken their turns and the town was abuzz with the news of all the fires. Just that morning alone he had overheard Teaspoon talking to Jimmy and Noah that he was a might perplexed as to who was behind the mischief making.

*"And, why, the several little fires?"* He remembered Noah remarking. "It doesn't make any sense. If you're so hell-fire bent on making trouble or causing damage why not start one large fire to get the point across?"

"Bite your tongue, Noah. "Jesse remembered Teaspoon remarking sternly to the black rider."So far, no one has been hurt. No serious damage done, and no animals lost, Sounds like we got a bunch of little culprits, instead of just one."

It was been even harder to sneak away earlier that night, than before, because Teaspoon was agitated. Finally, Jimmy and Buck had volunteered to take the night's shift of patrolling the town and the older man had reluctantly agreed.

Jesse had waited until both of the riders had gone out to patrol and Teaspoon had gone to sleep, before making his cot up to look like he was still in it and slipping out the back door. He had found the Riley's and the other 'gang' members waiting for him with kerosene and  
matches beside the shanty.

It had taken him all but a couple of minutes to pour a bit of the kerosene out, struck the match, and tossed it. What they had not been prepared for was the expediency in which the dilapidated shack caught fire with a loud 'whoosh' that had propelled them all onto their backsides, causing Seth Riley to drop the rest of the kerosene that the flames licked hungrily at and threaded a way through the dry grass toward the back of Tompkins store.

Panic shot through all of them as they scrambled to their feet, and took off running. Shouts rang out from someone on the street as the fire was started. Jesse had dashed into the passageway, hoping to make a beeline for the jailhouse when he saw Jimmy race toward it calling out Teaspoon's name... A few minutes later Teaspoon appeared and the two conferred hurriedly as both raced back to help with putting out the fire.

Now a melee of confusion, frantic movements, and anxious shouts filled the night air as friends and neighbors alike, fought to save Tompkins store and the buildings on either side of it from going up in flames. Jesse hid, crouching down as far as he could, and waited for his chance to make it to the jailhouse without being caught.

His eyes burned as smoke and ashes blew into them and filled with moisture. His heart skipped erratically, from fear and smoke inhalation and he fought hard to keep from coughing, fearful of  
alerting anyone to his hiding place. But as time passed without a chance for him to flee the scene of his crime, the harder it became for him to breathe.

Finally, Jesse stumbled out of the passageway, and into the direct line of a runaway horse that had broken free from a nearby hitching post in its panic and came at him in a full charge.

"Jesse!" he heard someone scream his name.

There was the stomping sound of boots competing with the thunderous  
noise of hoof prints, only moments before he found himself suddenly airborne. He landed with a loud 'ugh', and rolled, coming to an abrupt halt with something heavy on top of him.

The something heavy moved and became Jimmy, as he scrambled off the teen and anxious look upon his face. "Jesse, does anything hurt? What were you doing in the passageway?"

Jesse found that a great many things hurt. His eyes felt itchy and watery, his back was sore, his chest still ached from lack of air, but most of all his heart hurt at knowing just how disappointed everybody was going to be. He did not have a chance to form a cohesive answer in response to Jimmy's questions, before more people crowded around him and he heard Cody exclaim,

"What a save! Jesse would have been a goner if you had not gotten to him in time! Great job Jimmy."

Jimmy smiled abashedly at the high praise from Cody, but his gray eyes never left Jesse's face.

Teaspoon shushed Cody, before he crouched down beside Jimmy and Jesse. His face was filled with fatherly concern. "You okay, Jesse?"

"Yeah, I am fine, Teaspoon. A lot better than I deserve." Jesse said dejectedly, rising first into a sitting position and then a standing one.

He hung his head, too ashamed to catch eyes with any members of his Pony Express family as he confessed, "I did it. I caught the shanty on fire..."

It took several moments for the weight of his confession to sink into everyone gathered about him. He heard Rachel gasp and Lou exclaim, "Oh, Jesse. "

"Do you have any idea, son, what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into?" Teaspoon exclaimed heatedly." This is by far the worst thing you've ever done!"

"I know. I am sorry, so sorry. I never meant for anyone or anything to be hurt or damaged. It was all suppose to be a game." Jesse replied.

"A game?" Jimmy grabbed a hold of Jesse's arms and shook him. "You thought lighting fires and almost getting yourself killed a game? And just whose bright idea was it to make a game out of fire? Hawk Mathers, Phil Owens or those new fellows...the Riley kids you've  
been hanging out with?"

"Jimmy, let him loose..." Rachel said, placing a hand on Jimmy's arm. Reluctantly Jimmy did as the housekeeper requested. Hesitantly she stepped forward and put an arm around Jesse's shoulders.

"Jesse needs to get checked out by the doc." she said, exchanging looks with Teaspoon.

"Lou, go with Rachel to take Jesse to the doc's to be examined. If he is okay, you ride roughshod on him back to the jailhouse and lock him up in one of the cells. Maybe a night in jail will make him think hard on what he's done." Teaspoon directed, turning and walking away  
before anyone else could reply.

Kid, Noah, Cody, Jimmy, Buck and Ike all followed suit, none offering the youngest member of their 'family' even so much as a comforting thought.

"They hate me now...All of them." Jesse said dejectedly, watching the seven men depart.

"They don't hate you, Jesse. Their just not very happy with you or the choices you've been making lately." Lou told him, and then added. "Neither am I. You've lost our trust and it's going to take some doing before you'll get it back."

"Come on, Jesse." Rachel said, shepherding the young man down the sidewalk toward the doctor's office. Lou followed silently behind.

The doctor gave Jesse some medicine to take to soothe the ragged cough he had due to his smoke inhalation, but otherwise deemed him in fit shape. Rachel and Lou escorted Jesse back to the jailhouse, where Lou followed Teaspoon's orders and locked him into a cell, despite Rachel's protests.

"Coddling him isn't going to do him any bit of good, Rachel." Lou said as she and the housekeeper headed back across the street toward where the Teaspoon and the other riders were milling about talking with some of the other townsmen. Both were relieved to see that the  
fire was out and except from blackened scorch marks on the back walls of the General store and the store next to it they were still standing.

"He's just a boy, Lou. He doesn't deserve being put into jail." Rachel told her.

"He's not a boy, Rachel, and he's not a man either. He's caught somewhere in between and if he doesn't take special care he's going to end up on the wrong side of the law for good." Lou said as they reached their other family members.

"How's Jesse?" Noah asked.

"Fine, Doc gave him something for his throat and cough, but otherwise he's locked up tight." Lou told them.

"Teaspoon, I want that boy out of there. He made a mistake, a bad one, I know, but still a mistake. Haven't we all?" Rachel started.

"Rachel, if I didn't think it was for Jesse's own good, I wouldn't have done it. He has a lot of explaining to do and much retribution to make. I do not think that he's alone in this, either.  
I'm sending the boys out to arrest the others as well. Whether they change their ways or not, is up to their kin to take care of. Jesse is ours to deal with and I know that all of you are just as anxious to see that he grows into a fine upstanding man. If we are to accomplish that, we're going to have to be tough on him at times. Make him own up to the harm he has done and make amends. "Teaspoon said fervently.

"Fine, just as long as you see to it he knows that he's loved and wanted too." Rachel replied and started back toward her house.

The riders were sent out to collect the other boys and bring them in, while Teaspoon oversaw the dispersing the crowd and making sure the fire was truly out. Under the heated gaze of Jimmy, the teenage boys fell into fitful sleep thinking of their individual misdeeds and what their punishment was going to be.

Morning came all too early for everyone after the eventful night and proved to be just as eventful as the families of the other boys came into town to see to their kids. Teaspoon fined each of the boys 20 dollars a piece for their mischief, to which they were to pay off by doing various odd jobs for the people whose land had been damaged by their 'little fires'.

Jesse's sentencing was far stricter. Teaspoon not only made him apologize to Tomkins for what he had done, he also let Tompkins determined the length of time he would have to work for him. There was no set amount of days or no dollars attached; only Tompkins  
would know when he felt Jesse had served his time.

Jesse was quick to agree to the deal, eager to prove how very sorry he really was and to find himself back into good graces with not only Tompkins but his Pony Express family as well.


End file.
